The Kiwanis Club of Madison West began when the Downtown Madison Kiwanis Club was approached by a nucleus of "west-siders" interested in forming a service club. One of the first Kiwanis clubs organized in Wisconsin, the Downtown Club traces its history to 1919 when it became the third Kiwanis club in Wisconsin, preceded by Milwaukee (1916) and Racine (1916).

On March 20, 1959, the Kiwanis Club of Madison West (that will be referred to as "West Kiwanis" from this point) was born at an organizational meeting hosted by Downtown Kiwanis. Officers were elected at their first official meeting on April 15th, and a large, enthusiastic group gathered at the West Side Businessmen's Club to celebrate the West Kiwanis Charter Night on May 20, 1959.

Forty-one men from west Madison became the charter members of West Kiwanis that night. Henry Ahlgren was elected charter president of the club and continued to attend weekly meetings until just a few weeks before his death at the age of 94.

Henry Ahlgren (Pres)        Loren Griswold        Jack Kammer        Wilbur McDaniels        Donald Price        Karl Sumner

Al Anderson (Sec)            Clifford Hawley        E. A. King              A.H. Miller                   Lloyd Rader         Robert Thayer 

Orville Arnold                   Robert Hull               Emil Korenic         Conley Montgomery    Doral Robb          Robert Torkelson 

James Atkins (Treas)        Daniel Imhoff            Robert Kraft          Kenneth Nester             Ernie Rothe          Bob Towner (VP) 

James Crowley                 J. R. Jacobs                Knute Knutson      Arthur Peterson             Robert Schmitz    John Turgeson 

Albert Gay                        Boris Josheff              Anthony Mack      Richard Pierce              George Steiner      John Villhaver 

Charles Gill                       Philip Kapell             George Martin       G. O. Pond                    Clark Stewart

1964 - Sponsored the first all-city high school Hockey Banquet 

1964 - Sponsored the Kiwanis Club of Middleton 

1965 - Held first Pancake Breakfast fundraiser 

1965 - Sponsored a Christmas Tree project on land behind the Hilldale Shopping Center until 1973 

1966 - Started the West Kiwanis Barbershop Quartet 

1966 - Named the weekly newsletter the "Kiwan-o-gram" 

1968 - Started the West Kiwanis High School Music Banquet 

1970 - Established the West Kiwanis Foundation 

1971 - Established the George Martin Wrestling Award for Leadership awarded until 1985 

1974 - Member Art Peterson elected Governor of the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan District 

1974 - Sponsored the Kiwanis Club of Monona-Madison 

1977 - West Kiwanis Kilo-O-Korn funraisers started 

1982 - Sponsored the Kiwanis Golden K Club 

1982 - Began our sponsoship of the Capitol Christmas Pageant which continues today 

1983 - Provided regular volunteers to help establish 3Gaits Program 

1983 - Started our relationship with Camp Wawbeek which continues today 

1988 - Sponsored the Kiwanis Club of Fitchburg 

1989 - Inducted our first woman member 

1989 - Participated in the first Madison "Paint-a-thon" 

1994 - Sponsored the Kiwanis Key Club of Edgewood 

1996 - Took over as sponsor of the Madison Soap Box Derby 

1998 - First woman (Mary Mennes) elected President of Madison West Kiwanis